CONSISTENT AND PURPOSEFUL EFFORT If we were to step back and view the mass of humanity from a distance, we would possibly find only a very small select group of people who have learned to live in complete tranquility, encounter relatively little conflict, and only experience minimum amounts of suffering. On the other extreme, we would find another group of people who are constantly bashed upon the rocks of life by the powerful waves of despair which are beyond their capacity to effectively process. This group drifts farther and farther into the deceptive crevices of their own minds to escape the painful realities in which they exist. Somewhere between these two extremes we will find the zone where the rest of us reside. Not miserable enough to go mad, not tranquil enough to believe no more work is needed to create the life we desire but a mix of pleasure, purpose, sorrow, struggles and pointlessness. Yes we are challenged with the constant struggle to come to acceptable terms with lives we have and the wide array of emotions we experience. Many will blindly grasp into the darkness to find a few morsels of wisdom to soothe their otherwise tormented lives while other slowly have learned to be a little more skeptical in their search for tools to improve their lives. Happiness is so universally sought that “peddlers” of well-being can be found almost on every corner of our lives selling their miraculous cures to free us from the ordinariness of living which most of us experience. I am extremely skeptical of any ‘miracle’ results requiring minimum effort. It is usually a product created to appeal to our emotional desires for a magical world. Fantastic claims to satisfy our own unrealistic desires to have something for nothing are tempting. We are habitually tempted to chase after promises of a great harvest which requires little sewing of seeds and then persistent nurturing of those seeds until they grow into the mature stalks of happiness and success. It is our actions which define the character of who we are. When we nurture the seeds of a healthy character, we are moving toward the desired bountiful harvest. The behaviors which we perform over and over again are the ones which become a coherent and automatic part of who we are. Initiating change requires us to fumble through awkward responses to our environment and then patiently watch and evaluate how the world will respond. It requires constant attention, effort and will. Such an effort requires a great amount of energy. The process of growth is difficult because it forces us to reject our natural impulse for laziness of mind and to act mindfully instead of by a habitual and emotional response. If we persevere, overtime the new courses of action require less and less mental effort. The new behaviors become an engrained part of who we are and how we respond to the world. The new responses begin to occur smoothly and seamlessly. They are part of our character. I am not currently aware of any pill or simple trick of the mind which has been experimentally tested to offer these life changing benefits. Instead of untested promises of change, find a few intimate friends who can support you on this never ending process of change, dig down deep, and begin expending the essential effort required for purposeful change. ~Troy Murphy Flourishing Life Society
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 14:07:00 +0000
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